Finding a Great Margarita in Austin, Texas is as Close as South Congress

Margarita and salsa.Photo by Derik McKinney on Unsplash.

What do you drink when the weather hits 100 degrees and above in Austin, Tx? Texans and tourists alike drink margaritas.

Austin, TX recorded temperatures over 100 degrees farenheit this week in June, after a rainy May and first week of June that kept things cooled off longer than usual. Now that the heat has arrived, it's margarita time.

Full disclosure, I have two favorite places for margaritas in Austin. There are plenty of others and I'm open to suggestions. However, Guero's and Hopdoddy serve the best margaritas I've ever had.

Guero's Mexican Restaurant on S. Congress has a basic on-the-rocks margarita so special they print the recipe right on the menu. I have a picture of their recipe saved in my phone, and anywhere I go where margaritas aren't the specialty, I show the recipe to the bartender and ask them to make one just like It.

Recipe for Guero's margarita.Photo by author

I did that one night at Saxon Pub on S. Lamar in Austin, but didn't tell her where the recipe was from. A second bartender asked to taste it, took a sip and said, "Oh, Guero's." It's that good and that distinctive. It looks simple because it is. One and a half ounces tequila (I prefer Don Julio or Las Centenarias, silver), three fourths ounces fresh lime juice, and three fourths ounces Cointreau or liqueur of choice. I prefer Grand Marnier. It's so pure I can't drink any margarita made with sweet and sour or triple sec after having Guero's margaritas.

Hopdoddy's Doble Fina is my other favorite. While I don't know exactly what's in it, I do know that when they hand mix it, it is definitely "Double Fine." They start with lining the rim with a black lava salt, mixed with regular margarita salt, and maybe because of texture, it's the only salt I want on a margarita. Hopdoddy uses Monte Alban Silver tequila in their Doble Fina. They sweeten with agave syrup, which is more authentic than simple syrup or sweet and sour used most places.

The ingredient both Guero's and Hopdoddy use that makes the real difference in their margaritas is key limes. Key limes are sweeter then regular limes. Because of their sweetness, key limes cut the acidity you find in margaritas that use bottled or regular limes and lime juice.

Here's my advice from a purist, margarita drinking, Texan to tourists coming to Austin. If the margarita is too green, don't drink it. The deep green color is fake. A pure margaraita is nearly clear, except for the light gold color of the orange liqueurs which are often added to the best margaritas. Blue ones are okay, since that's usually just food color. Frozen ones are good in rthe summer, just know they are made in a batch instead of hand mixed and shaken (not stirred). And while I'm sure I'll get arguments from other margarita drinkers in Austin, I dare them to compare my two favorites with theirs before they decide.

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